Out of Her Mind
by Areyoufeelingwicked
Summary: After forty years of being 'dead' to all of Oz, Elphaba Thropp has grown quite old and she still lives with Fiyero, who remains a scarecrow. As some elderly people do, Elphaba has slowly lost her memory she is out of her mind.
1. Chapter 1

Out of Her Mind.

...

"Yero? Fiyero, darling, where are you? Let's make eggs for breakfast! I'd like my hat as well so we could go on a walk later," Elphaba called to Fiyero one morning in her withered voice.

It was times like these that brought Fiyero so much pain. Once they were gone, he only longed for the next time Elphaba knew, when she remembered. He lived for those moments.

Elphaba had been forgetting for some time now. It had started with small, simple things such as misplacing her hat. Soon there after, the green witch began to forget everything around her, fear would flood her dark eyes and she no longer recognized the scarecrow with whom she lived. Often times, Elphaba would reach out her withered hand to Fiyero and ask in a sad voice, "Dear Scarecrow, where is my Fiyero? Where has he gone?"

His replies were always the same, "He'll be back soon." Of course, he was referring to the next time when Elphaba knew who that scarecrow sitting beside her really was.

"Yes, Fae. Come on, let's go get you dressed," Fiyero said softly in reply as he walked over to help the old woman up.

"I can dress myself, Fiyero." She hit his straw-filled arm softly. Although she was old, her personality had not been altered a bit, she still refused any unnecessary help from Fiyero. "Will you get my hat while I dress? I think it's downstairs on the chair."

"I'm on my way," The scarecrow said as he moseyed his way down the flight of stairs. Elphaba's hat was exactly where she had said. Today was a good day for her. Fiyero smiled and picked up the hat gently with his gloved hands, he fingered it for a moment. For some reason, standing there holding Elphaba's hat filled him with grief. He didn't know why he had felt that way, nor did he have time to figure it out, for Elphaba was slowly making her way down the stairs.

"Did you find it?" The green witch called just as she came into view.

"Yes." The scarecrow walked over, gently he placed the hat upon the old woman's head and gave her a soft kiss.

"I love you, Yero," Elphaba said quietly.

_Today is a good day. _"I love you too." For a short moment, he held her in his arms and she laid her head upon his chest. "Alright, let's make you breakfast." With that, he reluctantly pulled out of the hug and led her to the kitchen table.

He helped her into a chair and she quickly remarked, "Such a gentleman, Fiyero." She turned to find a vase of flowers in the center of the table, she said, "Oh, did you pick these?"

"I did." Pots and pans clattered as he clumsily began to cook breakfast. Being a scarecrow made cooking twice as difficult, but still, he made breakfast and dinner for Elphaba every day no matter what state her memory was in.

"Poppies..." The small red flowers rested peacefully in a crystal vase of water. She plucked one from its safe haven and brought it to her face so she could smell its sweet perfume. "They're beautiful."

"Just like you," his smooth voice replied. Finally, he finished cooking and he took his place opposite of Elphaba. "Here you are," he slid the plate across the table to the green woman who slowly began to eat. He watched her.

"Must you watch me eat, Fiyero?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes." It seemed as though the prince spoke much less these days, and when he did, he was very serious. Although, he had not aged a bit, his mind had and he often felt tired.

"I do love our home, Yero," Elphaba said softly, putting a forkful of egg into her mouth.

Truthfully, Fiyero could not say he enjoyed living in Kiama Ko, but the couple had decided to move back to Oz a long time ago, it had been their only option. Before, they had lived in the forest of Amber on the outskirts of Ev. It was a wonderful place to live, separated from Oz by the impassible desert and separated from Ev by vast stretches of trees. The tall trees in the fall took on an amber coloration, hence the name, it was so beautiful and unlike anything in Kiama Ko. The only problem was supplies, the nearest village was a six day walk and even more on the way back.

Fiyero never did allow Elphaba to make the journey, for she was infamous even in Ev. To add to that little tidbit, most people considered her dead.

That was one thing Fiyero always found odd, being considered dead when you are alive and well. Every so often, Fiyero would hear news of his family, back in Oz, from hushed voices on the streets. Sometimes good news sometimes bad, the worst was hearing about his funeral. He always felt awful about hurting everyone he had known by faking his own death. What was even more odd, was when people would ask him, the scarecrow, about helping Dorothy kill the witch when he was coming home to her with food.

The journeys became too long for the scarecrow, who was starting to become worn and had more patches than actual material. As Elphaba aged, Fiyero found that he could no longer leave his love alone for such a long time, for fear she would hurt herself while he was gone.

Kiama Ko seemed like the only other option. Deserted, distant, isolated, and filled with escape routes in case of an emergency or unexpected visitors. The walk to the village was less than one day round trip. He was still a celebrated figure in Oz for aiding Dorothy in 'melting' Elphaba even though that had happened forty years ago. They had live in Kiama Ko for only thirty-two years and Fiyero could still recall the first time Elphaba had really forgotten.

It had been upon his return from a supply run, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, not yet. As usual, he slipped through the back door, carrying large amounts of food and other materials.

"I'm back!" His words echoed through the stone castle.

Now, normally, Elphaba would have responded with some smart, sarcastic comment. Something along the lines of, "Figures, just as everything was beginning to get quiet around here!" But, her voice did not ring out in reply, there was only a ringing silence and then a hurried scuffling noise from upstairs.

"Elphaba?" The scarecrow set his heavy load down quietly and called for her again. No reply.

A frightening crash ricocheted off the walls and an earsplitting scream followed there after. "Elphaba!" Fiyero gasped shortly before he flew up the stairs with surprising speed. Once he reached the top, he found books strewn across the floor, his eyes traveled to meet Elphaba's. They were filled with fear. "What's wrong, Fae?" The scarecrow asked worriedly, leaning over to pick up a book.

"Only Fiyero calls me that!" The old woman spat at him scornfully.

"Elphaba, I am Fiyero!" The other replied in shock.

"No, you're not! I know who Fiyero is and I'm pretty sure he's not some beaten up, worn out, old scarecrow!" She picked up her broom and held it threatening towards him. "Who are you? Where am I, where's Glinda? Nessa? Where's _Fiyero?_" Her voice rose on the last name.

He couldn't help but to be confused. "WHAT? How can you not know me? I am Fiyero!"

She held the broom to him, completely unconvinced. He tried to move towards her, to comfort her but she only screeched at him, "YOU STAY BACK!" Fiyero stepped back, hurt and confused.

"Elphaba," he felt like crying, but no matter how much he wanted to cry, he knew he'd never be able to. "Elphaba, I don't understand."

She remained there, like she was frozen with fear. Suddenly, her eyes flushed with realization and the broom clattered to the floor loudly. "Yero, oh Yero," she cried, hurrying to Fiyero's open arms, "What's happening to me?" Tears streamed down her face and soaked his fabric and he knew she was losing her memory. He knew, he was loosing her.

"Are you done?" Fiyero asked, waking up from the painful memories. Elphaba nodded and gave him the plate.

"Thank you, that was delicious as usual." Elphaba said quietly as she turned to look out the window. "Such a pretty day..."

Fiyero had been right, it was a very good day for Elphaba. One of those rare occasions when she hadn't forgotten a thing. They picked apples, painted, gardened, and took a walk, it was an eventful and glorious day for the two of them. On days like this, it seemed like she was back to her old self.

As the short day came to an end, a long, exhausting night began. Fiyero looked across the dark room to see Elphaba sleeping peacefully. He knew it wouldn't last, he'd only have to wait to see what terrors her mind would create in the dead of night.


	2. Chapter 2

Out of Her Mind.

Chapter II

...

Fiyero hadn't even heard Elphaba getting out of her bed, nor had he seen her through the blinding darkness. He only noticed her once she began to shake the straw out of him violently.

"Galinda, Galinda! We have to go! We have to find Nessa and leave!" She said urgently. Fiyero sat up from his bed, he hadn't been sleeping; he never slept anymore.

"Nessa, again?" Fiyero thought aloud to himself.

"Yes, Galinda, we have to find Nessa and leave! We have to go!" The old woman continued to shake Fiyero excitedly.

"Where are we going?" Fiyero asked calmly.

"To the Emerald City! Galinda, the Wizard has asked to see me! _The_ Wizard!" This was an unusually happy memory. He could see her ghost of a smile through the night, beautiful as it was, he knew it was temporary as all good things are.

"We can't go now, it's in the middle of the night! Now, just sit down and-" He tried to help her back into bed, but she threw him off.

"No! We have to tell Nessa!"

"We cannot tell Nessa!"

"Why not?"

Fiyero couldn't tell Elphaba that Nessarose was dead. No, he had made that mistake before, once the topic had switched to Nessa, he knew it would end in hysterics.

"She's gone away on vacation," He told her. Fiyero hated lying to Elphaba, her illness had forced him to do so too many times.

Her eyes flooded with fear. "Wh-where has she gone?" She asked, becoming quite frightened, "Why did they leave me? Galinda, they always take me wherever they go. I _have_ to look after Nessa!"

"Look, Fa-" He stopped, she still thought he was Galinda, he couldn't freak her out by confusing her. "Elphaba, they will be bac-"

The old woman interrupted him, "It's Elphie."

"I thought you didn't like it when I called you that," He argued.

"I'm scared, Galinda. Besides, you always call me tha-"

"SH!" Fiyero hushed her abruptly, for he had heard a noise coming from down stairs. Elphaba tried to speak again but the scarecrow trust his hand over his lover's mouth, keeping her from speaking. "Listen!" He hissed.

_Clop, clop, clop, clop._

Now, something you must know is that after Elphaba had staged her own death, Glinda had stopped all traffic from coming in and going out of the Kiama Ko castle and the surrounding area. All of Oz obeyed her wish, however, Glinda the Good did not follow her own rules. Every so often Glinda would stop by, the scarecrow never did figure out why she did this. Her unexpected visits had always forced the two fugitives to flee to the underground hideaways of the castle. But this had never happened during one of Elphaba's episodes.

"You're not Galinda!" Elphaba said in terror as she ripped Fiyero's hand off of her mouth and completely from his arm. It landed softly on the other side of the room. There was no time to retrieve it, the foot steps were getting much closer.

_Clop, clop, clop, clop._

"No time to explain! Get- Follow me!" He said quickly.

With haste, Fiyero opened a trap door in the flooring and helped Elphaba down the stairs leading to darkness. Elphaba fought him the entire way and thanks to Fiyero's great struggles, they made it underground just as Glinda entered.

Down under the trap door, there was a stream of light coming from a small hole in the floor. Fiyero pressed his eye to it, only to be disturbed by his face being smashed into the hole as a book hit him.

"Sh!" he hissed again. Another book hit him. "Cut that out! Where are you even getting those books?" He asked in a hushed whisper. Fiyero turned around and saw Elphaba holding a pile of books. He sighed and turned back to Glinda who was now picking up his hand. Fiyero cursed under his breath and continued to look on as the good witch examined the unmade beds, clutching the severed cloth hand.

"What in Oz?" The high-pitched voice of the good witch rang out. Suddenly, Fiyero was jerked away from his peephole and onto the floor of the cellar. Elphaba held a book threateningly to him.

"Look," said she, "I don't know who you are or where I am but you're obviously not telling me something. I know you know and I want answers." He didn't know exactly what Elphaba was talking about at that very moment, but he went along with it anyway.

"Fine."

"First, where did my father take Nessa? They-"

"SH! You have to be quiet!" He hissed from the floor. He would have gotten up, but Elphaba had pinned him down with her foot.

Meanwhile, a few feet higher in elevation, Glinda was still clutching Fiyero's hand in her own as she ran her free hand across the sheets. They were still ever so slightly warm and she knew someone was here.

"Hello?" She called.

Elphaba clutched her book tighter at the voice and pressed harder on the scarecrow. "Who's that?" She whispered in a scared voice.

"I'm not sure," he lied. "Do you want me to check it out?"

"No, you're not going anywhere!" She whispered back violently. The scarecrow thought about a plan, he couldn't let Elphaba see Glinda for more reason than just the fact that she'd go off the deep end for good.

He wasn't terribly worried about finding a plan until Glinda's voice returned, "What's this?" The trap door opened slightly and then slammed shut as Glinda lost her grip.

"Elphaba," Fiyero said, making up the plan as he went, "I- she's my fiancée, please let me up! We'll both be in big trouble if she finds you keeping me down here!" Even though Fiyero had pulled Elphaba into the cellar...she didn't object though. The green witch lifted her foot and nudged him out of the way.

"Go."

Fiyero scrambled to his feet and made it to the opening of the cellar just as the light flooded in again. He startled her greatly. "OH MY OZ!" Glinda the Good screeched as she threw Fiyero's hand and let go of the door, slamming his leg in the opening.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Fiyero asked as he tried to yank his leg out of the heavy door. "Curses..." He looked up at the old woman, though she was still beautiful, she kept her hand over her heart.

"You did indeed, gave my heart a start." She noticed that the scarecrow's leg was caught in the trap door. Without a word she crossed over and freed the straw filled man.

"Thank you, Glinda," he said, stepping back to stand on the door to make sure Elphaba wouldn't get out. "I don't suppose I could get my hand back could I?" The scarecrow lowered his head and gave Glinda a charming look that, in reality just looked ignorant.

She laughed and extended her hand to him, giving Fiyero the straw filled glove. "Does this happen often, Scarecrow?" She asked.

"No, not particularly," he said with a shrug, "more often, I get my fabric caught on things around the castle."

Glinda gave him a look. "I don't see any tears..."

There were indeed, no tears in Fiyero's fabric. Elphaba knew how to sew from the days when she mended Nessarose's old dolls when the sisters two were both girls. Whenever Fiyero tore, which was quite often indeed, Elphaba would pull out her sewing materials, sit him in a chair and go to work with experienced hands.

"Scarecrow?" Apparently, Fiyero had taken too long in his thoughts, wrapped in his own old memories. Or was Glinda merely impatient?

"I...I sew." The good witch didn't seem completely convinced but, she wasn't the skeptical type so she decided to go with it anyway.

"Why are you here?" Asked she.

"I do not have anything better to do," replied the other.

"Should you not like to visit me on occasion? It seems as though I hear less and less from you."

Although, Fiyero had never really visited Glinda after Elphaba staged her own death. Only on a very rare occasion he would drop by just to keep the public updated on his imaginary life he had created for the press.

It basically entailed of him using his superior brains and knowledge to study in some imaginary school. It wasn't uncommon for people to come up and talk to him about some intimate subject of logic or linguification or whatever that person happened to specialize in. He would always pretend he knew about what they were talking about or just act above it all.

"I keep myself busy with studies," he lied. So many lies...

"Could you not find a few moments to take a break?" Glinda took a step closer. "Surely your studies cannot occupy all of your time."

"They do not." Fiyero found it strange how formal they spoke to each other. When the two were in college they always talked in such a casual manner, especially when they had dated each other.

"Shall you like to pay me a visit or even perhaps come back with me and we could have tea or something..." she trailed off, losing her train of though. She watched the scarecrow look down nervously at the door beneath his feet.

"Um," said he, "I don't know, I have matters of business to take care of here and I-"

He did not get a chance to finish his sentence nor did he have time to move before he was flung backwards, where he hit the wall and slid down to the floor. For at that very moment, the trap door was forced open once again.

**...**

**A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner, I had it written out but not typed and I _am _incredibly lazy.**

**Reviews are tragic.**

**(But please, don't make this a cause to keep you from reviewing. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Out of Her Mind

Chapter 3

...

Glinda could hardly believe her eyes, she found herself in an abandoned castle out in the Vinkus, looking upon her best friend who had been proclaimed dead nearly forty years ago. "Elphie?" She asked in a hoarse whisper.

Elphaba gave a sigh of relief. "Galinda! This- look!" She pointed a long, green, finger at the scarecrow on the floor, who had lost more than half of his stuffing. "He said that he was you! We have to get away from here, we have to find Nessa!" She tugged on Glinda urgently, trying to get her to come away from the impostor.

"Elphie, what is the matter?" Glinda said, almost in tears, "I haven't seen you in forty years and-" She was interrupted by the scarecrow's warning.

He stopped putting straw into his torso long enough to hiss at Glinda to be quiet, "You'll confuse her! Or worse, you'll scare her." He continued the long process of putting himself back together.

The entire scenario was beginning to confuse Glinda, she shook her head and glanced back at Elphaba who had began to speak again. "The Wizard," exclaimed she, "he wants to see me! Me, Galinda!"

"Whatever are you talking about, Elphie?" The good old witch put her hand on Elphaba's hand which was tightened around Glinda's own arm. "The wizard is-"

"SH!" Fiyero interrupted again.

"We have to tell Nessa and-"

"Nessa is-"

"SH!"

Glinda had just about enough of the scarecrow cutting her off every time she tried to say something, she wondered if speaking faster would help. "Nessaroseis-"

"SH!"

"Alright! That's it!" Glinda turned with surprising speed for an elderly woman of her age and rounded on the defenseless scarecrow. Shaking her fist at him, she said, "What's you're problem? Why can't I tell Elphie anything? Are you the police of 'Sh?' Is she not capable of understanding? Is she ill? Is she-" Then it dawned on her. She retracted her hand and placed it in the other one sadly. "E-Elphie?"

"We have to tell Nessa! Come on!" The green witch tried in an impatient tone, "Why are you not listening to me?"

"Oh no..." In her mind, Glinda could still remember the days the two girls had spent at Shiz University, laughing, bonding, and learning together. Fiyero was still alive within her memories as well, both of them had changed her life so much and- now she had found one of the two most important people to her. Elphaba was alive but...Glinda figured Elphaba was sick, or simply losing her memory. The scarecrow would know...she'd ask him.

"One moment, I'm going to step out for a minute, just a quick breath of air," uttered Glinda. She walked over to the scarecrow (Who was still putting himself back together,) and clutched him by the back of his neck, literally dragging him with her. "You're coming with me."

"Wait, I left my foot over th- Oh Oz, fine!_ Pushy, pushy, pushy!_" He was mainly tired of being dragged around by different women.

Once they were completely out of Elphaba's earshot, Glinda broke their silence. "What as happened to her? Why are you here?" She pulled the scarecrow much closer, gripping him tighter, and shaking him violently. "Why is she not dead?"

Fiyero, taken aback at Glinda's random out burst only stood there and blinked. "Scarecrow! Answer me!" She said, becoming quite frustrated with him. "You're no good for anything but holding potatoes, you...you..." Glinda was never good with insults.

The scarecrow took haste in finishing Glinda's sentence. "Hunky Winky prince with a scandalatious reputation?"

Glinda did not move, she did not breathe for a very long time. "You?"

Fiyero nodded.

The next thing he knew, Glinda was hitting him repeatedly with her wand. "I can't believe you! All those years and- I even- but the! Fiyero I'm going to kill you!"

Elphaba must have heard this because soon the door creaked opened and a pair of eyes peered out at them. Elphaba padded out slowly from behind the door, silently. All eyes were on her. Fiyero couldn't tell if she recognized him or Glinda, at some times, it was impossible to tell.

Glinda gradually lowered her wand as she opened her mouth to say something, but Elphaba beat her to it.

"Glinda?" She asked, slowly. Fiyero sighed in relief, he had caught a glimpse of the recognition in her eyes, even in the darkness.

"Elphie!" The two embraced one another as young college students, years ago, as though no time had passed at all. It was rather bitter-sweet. "Well," Glinda declared, "I am so glad you two are okay. I was...more than worried but, why didn't you guys say anything to me?"

"We thought it would be best if you didn't know, that way, well...there wouldn't be as great a risk for someone leaking information," Elphaba replied smartly.

"Just a precaution, we're sorry," Fiyero's voice rose up from the corner.

Glinda didn't seem greatly upset, in fact, she had an expression of moderate amusement upon her face. "Well, I do suppose that was a good idea. I've never been very good at keeping secrets," she said with a small smile.

Late into the night, the three of them talked, laughed, and cried. They were still as close as ever, despite years of separation and great differences in the later years of their life.

"Oh, and remember that old Goat?" Fiyero said, as the witching hour was upon them.

"Yes, I do remember him! I can't remember who he was or what he taught th-"

"Doctor Dillamond, History," Elphaba spoke up, interrupting Glinda.

"Only you , Fae..."

"Who remembers their professors when their eighty years old?" Glinda said, shooting Elphaba a playful look.

"Actually I'm...I'm..." Elphaba stopped. Her smile disappeared slowly, as though it had been melted away. "I'm..." She raised her eyebrows in confusion. Her brown eyes flicked from Fiyero to Glinda quickly and she began to tremble.

"Elphie?" Glinda reached out to touch the green witch's shoulder but she retracted, scraping her chair away from the table they were now seated at in desperation. "Who- who are you? Where am I?" Elphaba shook her head and got up, letting the chair fall which created a great clattering sound.

"I've got to get out of here!" She said starting to walk, but again, she hesitated for only a moment. Elphaba brought her hand to her heart, clutching her chest as though she was experiencing great pain. "Yero..."

Fiyero rushed forward just in time to catch her as she became unconscious.

"What's wrong with her, Fiyero?" Glinda asked in terror, with an expression of the up most concern.

"She's very sick." He lifted the old woman and began to carry her up the stairs and back to the bedroom. "I'm really worried about her, Glinda."

"W-I'll go get help!" The other replied, turning to leave.

"No, you can't do that, they'll find us," The scarecrow said, turning around for a moment.

"Then let me at least get supplies, it's the least I can do. Please, Fiyero, please..."

"Hurry."

And just like that, the good witch was gone, off to hopefully get something to aid her friend. Fiyero new better. Elphaba had been getting worse, her memory was going and he knew that her body was failing her. She was old, and he knew, though he would never admit, she was dying.

He held her limp body close to his, hanging on to every moment. Finally, they reached the top of the stairs, Fiyero rushed to lay her down in the bed.

"Fae, please be alright." he whispered, setting his head on top of his arm, holding Elphaba's hand. He kept telling himself that any moment, he wanted so badly, more than he ever had wanted to cry.

The morning drew nearer, the very first signs of dawn were blending in with the nighttime blues. And it was then that Elphaba began to stir, though Glinda had not yet returned. Fiyero put his head up and squinted in the early morning light.

"Fae?" He could barely see, and it is too much of a hazard to light a candle when you are made of flammable materials.

She looked at him, with glassy eyes, he could not tell whether or not she recognized him. He said her name again,

"Elphaba?" She did not reply. "I love you."

Still, she said nothing, but in her eyes, just barely through the dark he could see a flash of recognition and a small smile spread across her lips. He could tell what she was thinking without her having to say a word.

Elphaba's eyes fluttered closed and did not reopen. Fiyero could still hear what he knew was her last thought in his mind, loud and clear as though she had said it herself.

_I love you too._

**_A/N: I aplogize for the oil spill. I have removed the words oil from the story. A certain sister of mine added them into random places. I hope you enjoyed._**

**_Reviews are tragic. _**


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